This is the official Blog for the Klezmer Podcast. This Blog will be the focus of the Klezmer Podcast online community. Please visit often and contribute your posts and comments. Thank you for your interest in the Klezmer Podcast.

10 April 2016

At once a thrilling whodunnit, a maddening romance, and an invigorating plunge into history, TheTsimbalist is a tale of Jews and Russians, depicting their complicated friendships, their dangerous enmities, and their illicit loves, all seen through the eyes of Avrom, a barber, musician, all-aroundmensch, and born detective.

The year is 1871. The inhabitants of Balativke live in delicate balance – until a young Russian aristocrat is found murdered near the home of Koppel, a poor Jew. With the police unable to unravel the mystery of the aristocrat’s murder, and blame falling upon Koppel amid a rising tide of anti-Jewish feeling, a desperate Avrom attempts to prevent disaster for his community by searching out the truth himself.

Learning as much about the people he lives among as he does about the slain Arkady Olegovich Efimovski, Avrom finds that few are who they seem. But could one of his neighbors really be a murderer?Click here to view original blog post

04 April 2016

Yiddish Music From Genghis Cohen

Lenka Lichtenberg is a vocalist based in Toronto, Canada and is always finding new ways to create Jewish music. Her latest album, Yiddish Journey, takes us on another musical adventure. Lenka has a unique style that blends traditional elements with cross- cultural influences, such as using Oud and Tabla instruments. I recorded this episode at her performance in Los Angeles at Genghis Cohen, and we hear the track Hey, Tsigelekh from her live set. This track is also on the album.